We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers to host a Brown-Bag Challenge, a month-long initiative to eat consciously and save money by packing a lunch each weekday instead of eating out. Join us here and share what you’re eating with FN Healthy Eats on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #brownbag. Are you up for the challenge?

If the striped Built NY lunch box we featured at the beginning of the brown-bag challenge isn’t for you, try the company’s new Big Apple Buddies line. Delancey Doggie, Cornelia Kitty and Astor Owl will make any animal lover swoon. Attach it to your purse, backpack or bag and you’re all set for snacking on the go. Find it here.

Bust out your lederhosen and beer gut: It’s Oktoberfest time! More than 5 million people attend the beer festivities in Munich, Germany, which last from the end of September to the first weekend in October. (September 17 to October 3 to be exact.) Whether you’re headed across the globe, or just plan to have a celebration stateside, we’ve got the recipes and phrases to add some authenticity to your party.

We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers to host a Brown-Bag Challenge, a month-long initiative to eat consciously and save money by packing a lunch each weekday instead of eating out. Join us here and share what you’re eating with FN Healthy Eats on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #brownbag. Are you up for the challenge?

Start your lunch break off with a smile. This dual-closure, happy-faces lunch box can expand to fit more food (35% more, to be exact) on the days you are really hungry. Plus, the bag’s high density thermal insulation will keep meals cold and fresh until lunchtime. Find it here.

It’s more than just alliteration; it’s a statement, a proclamation that Thursdays are when the weekend should really start. Kicking it off right is the key, and what better way than with a cocktail that not only takes the edge off, but tastes good too. Last week we stirred up a spicy Apple-Thyme Martini; this week we’re back with a another fall-inspired sip.

As far as beer-based cocktails go, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with a shandy. Mixed with citrus, soda, lemonade or cider, ther’re a great way to help cool off during hot summer days, but opt instead for ginger beer, ginger ale or best of all, fresh ginger, and you’ve got the perfect fall cocktail. With spiced rum, apple juice, freshly sliced ginger and lime, Chuck’s Ginger Rum Shandy couldn’t be more appropriate for the season. Drink up, folks.

We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers to host a Brown-Bag Challenge, a month-long initiative to eat consciously and save money by packing a lunch each weekday instead of eating out. Join us here and share what you’re eating with FN Healthy Eats on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #brownbag. Are you up for the challenge?

Tired of balancing your morning coffee, briefcase, lunch bag and more on your way in to work? This smart tote from Envirosax comes with a built-in cup holder, making at least two of those items easier to handle. Another bonus? Once you’ve finished your lunch, just tuck the bag back inside the cup holder—it’s also a foldaway compartment! Buy one in green, red or blue with multiple patterns and reuse it again and again. Find it here

Remember the old Saturday Night Live skit with Alex Baldwin, the one where he’s a baker named Pete Schweddy and he’s on national public radio? Ben & Jerry’s certainly does. A few weeks ago, ice cream sir-mix-a-lots Ben & Jerry’s released a new, fun and kind of naughty flavor. And it’s appropriately (or no so appropriately?) called Schweddy Balls.

The new flavor features vanilla ice cream, hints of rum and loads of fudge and rum-covered malt balls. Sounds pretty great, right? But what if you (yes, you) could create your own wacky ice cream flavor? We posed the question to Cooking Channel fans and fielded a Vermonster’s worth of answers. Some we’re hoping make it onto the B&J roster, while others… well, let’s just say we aren’t exactly lining up to try them.

I had never tasted Korean food until I moved to New York City six years ago. But now, I often crave a good tofu soup or bibimbap, served with spicy banchan, the small bowls of pickled veggies served with every Korean meal. The spices and flavors of Korean food are absolutely addictive, and now, with The Kimchi Chronicles by Marja Vongerichten, completely demystified and attainable at home.

Marja Vongerichten was born in Korea, the daughter of an American serviceman and a Korean woman, and adopted by American parents. At 20 she reconnected with her birth mother who by then lived in New York City, and Marja has been rediscovering and embracing her Korean heritage through food. In The Kimchi Chronicles, her PBS series, she and her husband, none other than chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, travel through Korea for inspiration and then cook up modern takes on Korean foods. This cookbook is a collection of their culinary creations: traditional favorites (like Bulgogi, a Korean barbecue classic) and fascinating fusions (like Korean Baeckeoffe, Jean-Georges’ Korean twist on an Alsatian casserole).

We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers to host a Brown-Bag Challenge, a month-long initiative to eat consciously and save money by packing a lunch each weekday instead of eating out. Join us here and share what you’re eating with FN Healthy Eats on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #brownbag. Are you up for the challenge?

Who say’s lunch has to be serious? Monkey around with this Zoo Lunchies Insulated Lunch Bag. The inside compartment has lots of space for multiple containers and snacks, plus a write on name tag so nobody else can steal your bag. Keep utensils in an inside mesh pocket, and use the top handle to clip the bag on your (less-fun) briefcase or purse. Find it here.

Make sure to wear a loose-fitting toga for tonight’s episode of Food(ography), because it’s jam-packed with amazing Greek food from your favorites!

Mo Rocca visits Chef Michael Psilakis for Grilled Fish 101 featuring his Grilled Branzino and Grilled Octopus at Kefi. Then say opa to ouzo at New Jersey’s Axia Restaurant with leading author Diane Kochilas — get a load of their Moussaka: